29 August 2014

This is Falling
by Ginger Scott.
Audience/Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance.
Publication: August 29th 2014.

First, I had to remember how to breathe. Then, I had to learn how to survive. Two years, three months and sixteen days had passed since I was the Rowe Stanton from before, since tragedy stole my youth and my heart went along with it.

When I left for college, I put a thousand miles between my future and my past. I’d made a choice—I was going to cross back to the other side, to live with the living. I just didn’t know how.

And then I met Nate Preeter.

An All-American baseball player, Nate wasn’t supposed to notice a ghost-of-a-girl like me. But he did. He shouldn’t want to know my name. But he did. And when he learned my secret and saw the scars it left behind, he was supposed to run. But he didn’t.

My heart was dead, and I was never supposed to belong to anyone. But Nate Preeter had me feeling, and he made me want to be his. He showed me everything I was missing.

And then he showed me how to fall.

An Excerpt...

“You ever make wishes?” he says, out of nowhere. His voice breaks the thick silence, and it makes my heart jump. I think it would have jumped at hearing him anyhow.

“All the time,” I say. “You?”

“Nah,” he says, and I start to laugh, but I realize he isn’t. “I just made my first one in years.”

Breathe.

“Oh yeah? You want Barbie back?”

“No,” he smiles. “I wished you were over here instead of there.”

Oh.

More seconds pass, and I let them slip into minutes, my eyes unable to leave his. He didn’t ask. He didn’t come up with some transparent scheme. He was just honest—perfectly, beautifully, terrifyingly honest. We lie there for fifteen more minutes just looking at one another, this new feeling swallowing us both up whole, until Nate finally rolls to his back and then his other side, facing away from me.

More seconds. More minutes. I watch his body rise and fall with every breath, and it’s constant and regular, but I know he’s still awake. Being Cass’s friend, being Paige’s friend, even being Ty’s friend—that’s all part of healing. But what I’m about to do right now has nothing to do with my own personal growth and overcoming my trauma. Being Nate’s friend was a level I left in the dust the second I made his acquaintance. And right now is about me, and the pounding in my chest, and the voice in my head telling me to take what I want.

“Nate?” I speak, my eyes shut tightly.

“Yeah?”

“Can I come over?” I open my eyes as soon as I speak—amazed the words left my lips.

He rolls back over to face me, lifting his blanket open, and I somehow find my balance and tiptoe to the other side of the room, lying down next to him, in the most amazingly safe place I’ve ever felt.

He’s slow with his arm, pulling the top of the blanket over my shoulder and then reaching around the front of my body to pull me in close. He slides his other arm under my head for a pillow, and my head rests heavily on his bicep. I reach up and pull the tie from my hair, dropping it to the floor. Nate’s hand reaches along my arm when I do, and then he runs his fingers up my neck and into my hair, scooping my heavy strands into a pile along my skin. He continues to run his fingers from my hairline to behind my ear, each stroke like a wave crashing over me, making my eyes feel heavy.

“Hey Nate?” I say, my voice barely a whisper.

“Mmmmm,” he says, his nose pressed against the back of my head while he pulls me in closer, continuing to wind my hair through his fingers.

“You should make more wishes,” I say.

“I just made, like, about twenty. But don’t worry. I’m patient.”

Every nerve in my body is tingling from whatever it is we’re doing. This is no longer just flirting. This is levels beyond flirting. And I am about to fall asleep without the help of Ambien for the first time in months.

Ginger Scott is a writer and journalist from Peoria, Arizona. She is the author of four young and new adult romances, with her fifth title, This Is Falling, set to release in late August 2014.

Scott has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scott is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

It’s Renna’s biggest job yet – convincing MYTH leadership that she’s put away her lock picks and is ready to save the galaxy, despite the dangerous implant in her brain. But with the Athena on the run, she’s working solo and facing her most ruthless enemy, the traitor Pallas, who’ll go to any lengths to destroy the MYTH organization. Including framing Renna for a devastating assault on MYTH HQ that leaves their defenses crippled and hundreds dead.

Now that MYTH believes she’s a dangerous double-agent, Renna escapes their firing squad before they put more holes in her than a pair of fishnet stockings. But the ticking time-bomb in her head is the one thing Pallas needs to complete his master plan and he’s not about to let her get away. Even worse, he’s discovered the only thing that will bring Renna to her knees – threatening Captain Nick Finn.

Out of time and options, Renna’s got one shot to take down the traitor before he annihilates everything she loves, even though winning this battle may cost her everything.

An Excerpt...

Renna turned as Dr. Samil entered the room. The young doctor wore a pleasant smile despite the slightly frazzled appearance of her long blonde hair escaping the messy bun she always wore. Renna leaned back against the edge of her bed. “Do you always have to look so happy at the prospect of stabbing me with those instruments of torture?”
Dr. Samil’s blue eyes sparkled. “For someone who’s done her share of killing, I can’t believe you have a needle phobia.”
“We all have our weaknesses,” Renna said with a shrug. “Pointy, shiny, metal bloodsuckers just happen to be mine.”
Samil set her holopad down on the counter and pressed her thumb to the scanner to unlock the drawer. She pulled out a tray of tools. “I guess it’s time for the torture to begin.”
The doctor brushed her bangs back off her forehead, and Renna gritted her teeth as she slid back onto the bed, preparing to be poked.
“How’d the last test go? Is the implant fusing normally?” Renna stared pointedly at the far wall as Samil fumbled with the glinting needles on the tray. “Or whatever normal is in this screwed-up situation.”
The doctor shook her head, flicking a finger against one of the syringes before pushing the plunger. Pink-tinged liquid squirted from the needle. “I wish I knew. I haven’t seen anything like this before. It’s fascinating.” Her voice was full of that breathless excitement Renna had come to hate. “Whatever Dr. Navang did prompted your ordinarily harmless implant to start fusing directly with your nervous system. If my hunch is right, any other cybernetic implants installed during this time would also fuse to your body. You could even start picking up other electronic signals.”
Renna flinched. Not only because of the quick jab of pain as the doctor deftly slid the needle into her arm, but because she was already picking up those electronic signals. Things were progressing faster than the doctor knew.
“Relax. I promise this won’t hurt.”
“That’s what Navang said.” Renna tilted her head and fixed Samil with a frown. “And look how that turned out.”

Jamie Grey spent most of her childhood writing stories about princesses who saved the day and pretending to be a daring explorer. It wasn’t until much later that she realized she should combine the two. Now, as a tech-obsessed gamer geek, her novels mix amazing scientific developments, future worlds, and the remarkable characters that live in them.

Jamie lives in Michigan with her boyfriend and their pets, who luckily tolerate her overspending on tea, books, and video games. You can learn more about her at www.jamiegreybooks.com, or follow her on twitter via @jamie_grey.

Six years ago, Melisa Bergfeld’s husband died. As the grief of losing him tore into her, she lost his last gift to her—their unborn child—and her hopes and dreams turned to ashes.

Left with a life she no longer wants, she seeks salvation in a homeless shelter. For a while, that’s more than enough.

But when a fire breaks out, in walks the man who will try to save her life—if she’ll let him.

Florian “Heat” Dane has left behind a trail of broken hearts in his wake, including pieces of his own. For all the girls he’s used to fill the hole in his heart, there has been just one he could never erase from his memories. But when Melisa married his best friend Scott Bergfeld, he knew she would never be his the way she’d been the one unforgettable night they spent together. Now that she’s back in his life, he will do anything to recapture her heart, even if it means giving away his own.

Heat still has the power to ignite passion in Melisa, something she both desires and rejects. He’s a known heartbreaker, and if there is one thing Melisa doesn’t need, it’s another crack in her heart. But when he confesses his love for her, she fears her secrets from the past will surface. And she might be the one to break his heart this time.

Reviewed by Kelly.

This story was sad mostly. Sometimes I wanted to kick Melisa into next year. She needed to get some serious professional help. She wasn’t letting anyone in, including her husband all because she couldn’t face the rejection. But by not telling people the truth of things that happened in the past things just gets worse.

Melisa accidently starts a fire in the homeless shelter. Her rescuer is her dead husband’s best friend. He is also a one night stand in high school. But that one night stand impacted both their lives for many years after. Heat, the firefighter/rescuer had always cared for Melisa. But Melisa didn’t know that because she went to live with a relative for a year afterwards.

So when he sees that she has nowhere to live he jumps at the chance to pay her medical bill and have her stay with him while she heals from burns from the fire and finds a place. Secretly he wishes she would stay forever.

Melisa has lots of skeletons in her closet and when you think you know them all, there is another curve ball to the story. She seriously makes some major stupid moves when she holds things back. Sorry, can’t share them. It would be a spoiler.

In the end, there is resolution but I need to see what else happens in the next book, so gotta go read on!

Dori Lavelle is a mother, wife, and sucker for happy ever afters and mint chocolate. Hand her a great romance novel and a mug of hot chocolate and she'd be one happy woman.

Melisa Dane has made it through the worst. Her heart was broken, but Florian Dane, better known as “Heat”—and the man of her dreams—returned to mend it. Now, with her family almost complete, Melisa is ready to sit back and enjoy life.

But fate isn't done with her yet. The perpetual smile on her face freezes when the second man to steal her heart shows up in her life once again. Scott Bergfeld, the husband she buried and grieved for years ago, is not dead, and he comes back bearing secrets.

Heartbroken and confused, Melisa tries to find answers to questions she never thought she'd ask, but what she learns throws her life into turmoil. Soon, cracks start to form in her marriage with Heat. As her heart is torn into two halves—between the man she loved first and the man she married first—she comes dangerously close to having her whole life destroyed again. How many people will end up getting hurt? This time, does she have the strength to make it through?

Reviewed by Kelly.

Sometimes I think people are generally stupid! Melisa is doing the same thing she blamed Heat for. Melisa also runs at the first chance and needs to learn how to work things out together. But keeping Scott’s still alive a secret from her now husband Hea,t is very stupid no matter the circumstances. I just had to vent that first.

There are a lot of secrets, lies, omissions, selfishness and grieving in this book. At times, it was unbearable. Melisa and Heat have lost a lot together but Heat wants to work on it together and Melisa just can’t do it. That made me not like her so much. Heat on the other hand? What’s not to like. He is willing to buy the world for her. Melisa just took a lot of time to get with the picture and I really thought that Heat would move on and let her go; because he saw that he was losing her.

Scott is a donkey’s butt! He is stupid too. I mean who does that and keeps all kinds of secrets from his then wife???? But he tries to right the wrongs of his life and while he was given forgiveness, things were too far gone to make any changes.

OK, so you get the picture that this book is full of choices and consequences and forgiveness, moving on, second chances and having a family. It is a rollercoaster of emotions, sometimes I wanted to stop reading it as it was heavy. But in the end, I agreed with the choices that were made!

3.5 stars

Dori Lavelle is a mother, wife, and sucker for happy ever afters and mint chocolate. Hand her a great romance novel and a mug of hot chocolate and she'd be one happy woman.

My name is Whitney Lane. I’m sixteen years old and at first, I thought I was crazy.

I kept seeing shadows move along walls, and hearing whispers around corners, but whenever I looked, there was never anything there.

Until one day, there was.

Our world isn’t what we think. There are things around us, good things, bad things, scary things.
Things that we tell ourselves aren’t real, but they are.

They’re very real, and they’re terrifying.

I’ve been swept up now, in a battle of good and evil, confused about love and what is supposed to be love, but isn’t. I don’t know what to think anymore. I can’t trust my emotions and I don’t know what is true.

There’s only one thing I know for sure.

Nothing is what it seems.

An Excerpt...

Sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real.

Happy birthday to me.
I close my eyes and burrow into my pillow as I try to sleep, as I try to escape this life.
It’s a life I never thought I’d have, a life I most certainly don’t want.
I’m still feeling sorry for myself as the blackness of sleep finally overtakes me.
I don’t know what time it is when I shoot straight upward like a rocket. Something had yanked me from the oblivion of sleep, something loud and shrill scraping my window.
My room is completely dark and I glanceat my clock in confusion.
3:00 a.m.
As my heart pounds hard against my ribcage, I quickly scan every corner of the room.
In the last few hours, dark shadows had migrated onto my pink walls, but they’re familiar, nothing out of the ordinary, although in the night, they seem twisted and scary.
I remain motionless as I allow the sleep-induced fog to clear from my brain.
As I sit, I feel common sense and logic slowly returning.
Of course nothing had touched my window because my bedroom is on the second floor. Nothing can reach it. And there are no trees near enough to brush against it. It was just a dream.It was only a dream.
I chant it silently to myself like a mantra as I consciously slow my breathing down, hoping that my racing pulse will soon follow. It was only a dream.
But just as I’m calming down, I hear it again.
A high-pitched shrill shriek, reminiscent of fingernails on a chalkboard, scraping down my window. I gasp and pull my feet up to my chest, which is when I notice the temperature.
I notice because I can see my breath.
Timidly, I blow a puff out again, watching the way my breath turns white in the air. Holy crap. Oh my God.
What the hell?
The sound stops and stillness surrounds me once again, the silence so loud that it echoes in my ear.
Nothing moves around me, the shadows are perfectly still as they twist across my wall. They look like mangled fingers and arms and legs, but they don’t move.
My legs are weak and shaking, but I know I have to move. I have to move off my bed because it feels like something is under it. Something terrifying.
With a leap, I bound across the room, my feet hitting the floor several feet away from the edge of my bed.
The floor is ice cold, as though it had been covered in a blanket of snow.
I’m trembling as I race to the far wall and check the thermostat. Because that’s the only explanation. I must’ve bumped it earlier, I must’ve turned the AC way down.
But the luminous numbers stare at me in contradiction.
74 degrees.
It must be broken. It has to be broken.
My breath is coming in pants now, terrified, anxious pants.
My fear isn’t logical. I know there’s nothing here. I’m the only one in this room. Or am I?
The air seems to push at me from all around, something dark, something heavy, something real. Something unseen.
My fingers shake, my legs tremble, and then all of a sudden, they can no longer support my weight. I go down like a pile of bricks, collapsing onto the floor. I lie still because I can’t move, because something seems to sit on my chest, holding me down.
The shadows start to move, to slither across the walls, to reach and pull and dance.
I struggle to focus, to see what it is.
But all I can see are the numbers on the thermostat suddenly moving, rapidly counting down from 74 to 20.
Twenty degrees?
The air is frigid as I suck it in, as I try to pull the ice crystals into my mouth so I can breathe.
All of a sudden, there’s a blackness in front of me. It hovers over me, a shapeless mass, sucking in the cells of the air, the atoms and the molecules. It’s darker than the blackness of my room, blacker than the blackest black.
Something is here. With me.
“Dad?” I whisper in a white puff. Because what else could it be?
I reach out a finger to touch it, and then I can’t see anything else, because the darkness of it surrounds me, bleeding into everything else, even my vision. The shriek is back, screaming into my ears, bleeding into my brain.
Then there’s nothing.

To celebrate Courtney’s Birthday, she is putting the following titles on sale for just $.99 on August 28th ONLY!

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.

27 August 2014

Neve believes Jake is the one. She is miles away from home, struggling to fit in at university and missing the people she loves. The only thing getting her through is the knowledge that Jake will be visiting for the weekend.

Jake believes he isn’t the one. His family and lifestyle mean he can’t give Neve what she deserves: so much more than him. He arrives for the weekend, knowing that he has to break her heart, along with his own.

Sometimes we make decisions and have to live with the consequences.

Each of them struggles to cope with the aftermath of the weekend. Each of them is unhappy. Each of them refuses to do something about it.

Sometimes it isn’t about a boy meeting a girl and falling in love; sometimes it is about what happens next.

Heart features characters from Nicola Hudson’s first New Adult novel, Curve, but can be read as a standalone novel.

Heart...

noun [härt]

1. The muscular organ that pumps blood through the circulatory system.

Nicola Hudson is a British author who lives in Birmingham, England. She is also a full-time high school English teacher and avid reader – her taste runs from New Adult novels to the classics. Her dream day involves reading, writing and plenty of chocolate.

26 August 2014

Eyes of the Woods
by Eden Fierce.
Audience/Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance.
Publication: August 26th 2014.

Eris Helgren knew her life was about to end. A daughter of the Priory--a generations-old family who protected their territories from nightwalkers--Eris was strong and independent. But on her birthday, her father would announce her betrothal. A year later, she would be forced to marry.

What Eris didn’t know was that the very beings she hunted were watching her, and that being tamed wasn’t what would kill her after all.

In a land where the woods were forbidden and the laws meant life, Eris will have to make a decision that could bring peace between enemies, or war among friends.

An Excerpt...

The Priory was all that was familiar to me. No matter how much blood we shed, how many lives we watched slip away, or how many mornings I spent wondering if I would go to Hell for what I’d done, it was my calling.

The sunset before me was beautiful, unlike any other. Without knowing why, I took a moment to appreciate the orange and pinks swirling in the sky as the burned circle sizzled against the horizon. Our lands were the most beautiful of the six territories the Priory guarded, and also the most dangerous. My father led the people of Ona, the oldest of them all.

Glass clinked together downstairs, and the noise snapped me back to reality. It was likely Father, already awake and organizing supplies. Father was respected, admired, and feared, and as many nights as I had spent watching him slay monsters, I didn’t question the devotion that Onans felt for him. After all, I felt the same.

My father was the strongest man I knew, and often I wondered if he would live forever. Nearly seventeen, and standing five foot eight, I was strong and tall for a girl. Father still towered over me, his burly arms thicker than my waist.

The sun slipped behind the snowcapped mountains in the distance, and my fingers began to twitch. Sunset meant time for hunting—a duty I tried to love but secretly despised, almost as much as the extravagant red gown worn by the metal dress form in the middle of my bedroom. The layers of scarlet fabric had been taunting me for weeks, creating a fury inside me that multiplied every time I laid eyes upon it.

Seventeen meant many things. More freedom, more respect, but it also meant the announcement of a young Onan woman’s betrothal, and there was a loathing inside me that I had never sensed before. As was customary, Father hadn’t yet told me whom he’d chosen. His faith to the tradition was just as well; knowing would make me dread it all the more.

I had as much enthusiasm for being promised to a man as I did for killing.. It all felt like chains, weighing me down and holding me back from being whom I was meant to be—whoever that was.

I crept from my bed and padded down the hall in my bare feet to wake my brothers. They more than accepted our station, relishing the advantages that being Priory brought, and who could blame them?

Everyone who lived in the clearings along the edges of the vast forests that made up our lands daydreamed about what it would be like to be a Prior. Old women wished for their daughters to marry into our family, and young men sang songs about dreams of being born into the Priory. They all sought to be one of us. Everyone but me.

Eden Fierce was born on August 25, 1999 and lives in Enid, Oklahoma with her parents and two siblings. Eyes of the Woods is her debut novel, although it's only one of nine novels she has completed. Eden enjoys writing, reading, and high school cheer and volleyball.

Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she’s determined to make them come true. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, dating’s the last thing on her mind. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B….

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can’t risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, the last thing he wants is noisy students living in the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia’s and Ty’s paths cross, and soon they can’t stay away from each other.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can’t know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.

"A tender, sweet, and sexy story about how life—and falling in love—can never be planned."
—Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You

An Excerpt...

“Where are you from?”
Ah, an actual question. That means I can ask one back.
“Nebraska, toward the South Dakota and Wyoming side, if that helps.”
“I’ve never met anyone from there.”
Michigan was a long way from home. “I usually get ‘not in Nebraska anymore’ jokes, and then I have to decide if I’m going to remind them that’s Kansas or play along.”
“What do you usually do?”
“Play along.”
“You don’t like conflict, huh?” He sounded normal tonight, as if talking to me wasn’t an unpleasant chore anymore.
That was a relief since I’d come to look forward to these moments with him so much. More, maybe, than I’d like to admit.Right. Friends. I distracted myself by considering his question. “Not if it can be avoided. I’m not what you’d call pugnacious, no. But I like to think I don’t back off important issues. What about you?”
“No.” His voice was bleak and quiet. “I don’t. Even when I should.”
Wow, that took a dark turn.
If I could’ve jumped onto his patio without breaking an ankle or waking Sam, I’d have been down there like a shot. The distance between us seemed intolerable, and from the knot in my throat, I didn’t see how I could live another second without touching him, finding out if his hair was as soft as it looked or what he smelled like. I wanted him in a way I never had before.
In high school, I had a boyfriend who played basketball, and we broke up when I left the state. It was a rational decision, and I didn’t miss him that much once I was gone. My freshman year, I went out with a lot of different guys, one date here, two dates there, but I never clicked with anyone enough to focus on them. Sometimes there were hookups with no strings, no expectations. Classes, friends and work seemed a lot more important. The intensity of this attraction was foreign and frightening, if exhilarating. I might already be backing off if I had the faintest sense that Ty was jerking me around on purpose.
Wish he didn’t make me feel this way. It’d be so much simpler if I could friend-zone him.
I realized I still hadn’t touched his verbal grenade. “We all have things we’d do differently in hindsight.”
“What is it about you?” he asked in a wondering tone.
“Huh?”
“You make me…better. Calmer.”
“Like a sedative?” I snickered. It was the least sexy thing a guy had ever said to me, including a junior high squeeze who said my face wasn’t actually that bad.
He laughed, too, a sheepish sound. “I didn’t mean it like that. Just…I’m worried pretty much all the time that I’m dropping the ball somewhere, about to face-plant, but when I come out here and hear your voice, everything backs off like ten steps. I can breathe again.”

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.

Maxwell Jameson Trevor, prince of Lilaria, hates his royal role. Despising the limelight, he takes solace in his art studio and steers clear of any drama. But when one of the newly discovered royals passes away, Maxwell's brother Alex asks him to break the news to the old man's granddaughter. Though he hates to be the bearer of doom and gloom, he doesn't want the poor girl to find out from the tabloids. For Maxwell knows all too well how devastating that could be.

Coming from a broken home and modest background, newly ordained Lady Meredith Thysmer has seized her chance to make a better life for herself and her son. She's not afraid to use her best assets to get what she wants. But when the unpretentious yet devastatingly handsome Max delivers his news, her plans for the future come crashing to a halt. In the challenging days ahead, Max's compassion, humor, and steadfast loyalty to Meredith and her son win her over. She quickly finds herself doing something she swore would never happen again: falling in love. And yet Maxwell still refuses to completely drop his guard. Somehow Meredith's got to find a way to seduce this reluctant royal.

An Excerpt...

As I turned to leave the room, my eyes fell on a sketch pad and I couldn’t help myself. Sitting back down in the chair I flipped it open and smiled at the drawings inside. Marty had promise for such a young kid. Turning to a blank page, I glanced around and searched for a pencil. Charcoal would be best, but pencil would do.

I started with the lines of his forehead, the curve of his impish nose, the roundness of his cheeks. I was lost in the sketch, enjoying the shadows, the tenderness in his expression, working to capture that moment of utter innocence.

“That’s beautiful.” Her voice was soft.

I looked up from what I was doing, not surprised that she had snuck up on me. When I’m lost in a project, the world disappears; the only thing I’m aware of are the layers of the project I’m working on.

“He’s a good subject.” I turned back to the paper and finished up the shading of the blanket.

“Only because he’s asleep and not moving.” Her quiet laugh sent shivers over my body.

“That does help.” I smiled up at her. “But it’s the contrast. The contrast of him awake versus him asleep. He looks so young right now, so innocent.”

“What do you mean?” She leaned closer to look at the picture.

“He’s so mature, quick-witted.” I whispered the words. “But here he is, looking like the child he is.”

“I’d say so.” I turned and handed her the sketch pad. “I hope you don’t mind that I drew him. The light and shadows were too perfect to resist.” Sort of like her right now. The way the moonlight glinted in her eyes and shone along her hair. Her perfect features would make any artist ache to draw them. Her pixie nose, the heavy eyelashes, the curve of her body hinted at by the oversized sweater she had wrapped around herself. It made my palms itch. Partly because I just wanted to touch her, to see if she would taste as sweet as she looked in that moment.

“Thank you for keeping him entertained.” She stood up. “Can I keep this?”

“Of course.” I stood up and stretched. Her eyes swept over my chest and then back up to my face. Maybe I wasn’t the only one tempted to touch. I hated to admit it, but I had a flare of pride. “I enjoyed hanging out with him.”

I was surprised to realize I meant it. I never would have thought spending time with a six-year-old would have been enjoyable.

“Looks like he did too.” She moved away from the door and I followed her into the hallway.

“Did you get everything settled?”

“I think so.” She frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Her expression worried me.

“Granddad would have hated a large ceremony.” She sighed and headed for the stairs. “But I guess that as a duke there are some things that have to happen.”

“I don’t blame your grandfather.” I followed behind her. “I would want a small ceremony, not to be made into a production.”

“I’m starting to think you don’t like any type of production.” She looked at me over shoulder.

“Not really, no.” I wasn’t going to lie. “I don’t like being the focus, being the center of attention. It makes me uncomfortable.” I wasn’t going to lie, but I hadn’t intended to tell her so much about me.

“And yet you agreed to help me with my grandfather’s funeral.” She turned to me at the bottom of the stairs and set the sketch pad on a table. “Why?”

I stared at her for a minute, enjoying the way her eyes looked up at me, the tilt of her chin, the way her hair cascaded around her shoulders. “I don’t know.”
Unable to help myself, I reached out and touched her cheek with my fingers. Her pupils dilated and she inhaled softly. With one thumb I traced the dip under her plump bottom lip. Her hand reached up to trace my jaw and she took a step closer to me.

“You should be running from me as fast as you can.” She whispered the words. “I’m everything you don’t want.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“I live for the spotlight, it’s my food.” Her eyes were half lidded as she edged closer to my mouth. “And you’ve seen my family. I’m trouble, Max.”
Did I care? I wasn’t sure I was capable of making a real decision as her smell wrapped around my senses. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to taste her, to touch her, to press her against my body. To hear her say my name again.

Dipping my head, I grazed her lips with mine and I was lost. On a sigh, she leaned into me and wrapped her hands around my neck. Tilting her head back, I brought my mouth to hers carefully, softly, tasting. I wanted to deepen the kiss, to hear her moan, to feel the way her body could wrap around mine, but I kept it soft, sweet, and simple. She was in such a hard place, she needed to be protected, treasured by someone.

Nichole Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Suddenly Royal, Flukes, The Dark Betrayal Trilogy, and several short stories. She is also the instructor of Say What? a dialogue class at the Romance Academy.

Nichole lives in Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, superhero dog, Sulcata tortoise, and two cats. When not writing, you may find her reading, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.

25 August 2014

Once upon a time, there was this pampered rich girl who was kind of full of herself. She really only cared about appearances and hiding all her dark, ugly secrets under the guise of an opinionated snob. But then Eva Mercer got pregnant, shot by a psycho, and kicked out of the only home she knew. Now she’s broke, unemployed, and has to start anew with a newborn to raise. But how?

On the other side of town, sexy, tattooed orphan, Patrick Ryan, can’t get a break. He’s out on parole for defending the last damsel in distress while trying to help her support her child, but all he wants is to find his one true love. He knows this woman by scent, smile, and laugh, but he’s never actually met her. He doesn’t even know her name. He just knows she’s the key to fixing everything.

One kind of hero can save you from physical harm. Another can rescue you from a different kind of doom. To reach their dreams, Eva and Pick can save each other. But first, they must open their hearts and learn how to trust.

Reviewed by Kelly.

I haven’t read the other books in the series when I got this for review. But, I am definitely going to go back and read the others while I am waiting for the next book!

Pick, SIGH, is all tattoos and piercings and a look of don’t mess with me on the outside. But on the inside, he has a giant heart. He knows how to treat a woman and will be there for you no matter what and even above himself! He is selfless.

Pick comes from foster homes. His oldest friend, Tristy, is now a crack head and had a baby. She needs help and Pick decides to help her by marrying her so his insurance could help her baby Julian on the condition that Tristy cleans her act up. The marriage is strictly platonical. He ends up being Julian’s sole parent because Tristy doesn’t want anything to do with him.

Pick goes after this “witch” when he was a teenager because he thought she was ruining Tristy’s life. But he gets caught in a moment of vandalism. The “witch” looks him over and gives him a “vision” of his life to come. In that vision he meets his future wife, Tinker Bell, and his kids and how happy and complete he feels with them. He sees a lot of places too. From that day on, he had some hope of a life like that. But ten years later, after thinking it wasn’t going to happen, he finally meets Tinker Bell.

Eva came from a have everything you want life. And she appeared on the outside to be taking as much as she can. But on the inside she was broken and doing what she could to survive her father’s (he was really her stepfather) groping hands and abuse. She never told anyone. Her ex-boyfriend was a jerk too and wanted her to abort the baby they made. She is just messed up. She went to live with her cousin and best friend, Reese. She believes all men are jerks and tries to prove it to Reese and expose him. But Mason is definitely not a jerk. She learns that there are men out there who are good guys! She meets Pick while seven months pregnant at the bar Mason and Pick work at.

Eva comes into the bar, with her pj’s on. The shirt is a picture of Tinker Bell. Pick is in a state of shock. He also realizes he can’t have that life with Eva, aka Tinker Bell, because he is currently married and he loves the little boy of Tristy’s, whom he claims as his own. The other thing that cinched it for me, is that Pick, even though his marriage is not one based on love, tries to honor his marriage and not entangle himself with Eva. But the connection between the Pick and Eva is undeniable. Neither can seem to keep from being around the other.

When I started reading it, I was like, meh. But after the first few chapters, I couldn’t stop. I wanted to see how the two would ever come together with the odds seemingly stacked against them. They both deserved a happily ever after with the horrible lives they had to face thus far.

Eva fell in love with not only Pick but the little boy Pick claimed as his own. But when things seem alright, both of their pasts come to bite them in the butt. It even takes a chunk of it away, it is so bad! Both are willing to sacrifice themselves to save their seemingly perfect family. Because that’s what you do when you love someone!

In the end, Eva claims Pick to be her hero and Pick claims Eva to be his hero. They both saved each other. They both are loving and selfless even with all the stacked up junk they are given in life. It is a story that will make you feel that all is ok in the world. Be My Hero settles deep in your heart and squeezes it!

P.S. I am a labor and delivery nurse and would not recommend trying the jelly on your vajajay, unless you want a yeast infection. Just sayin…

Once upon a time, there was this pampered rich girl who was kind of full of herself. She really only cared about appearances and hiding all her dark, ugly secrets under the guise of an opinionated snob. But then Eva Mercer got pregnant, shot by a psycho, and kicked out of the only home she knew. Now she’s broke, unemployed, and has to start anew with a newborn to raise. But how?

On the other side of town, sexy, tattooed orphan, Patrick Ryan, can’t get a break. He’s out on parole for defending the last damsel in distress while trying to help her support her child, but all he wants is to find his one true love. He knows this woman by scent, smile, and laugh, but he’s never actually met her. He doesn’t even know her name. He just knows she’s the key to fixing everything.

One kind of hero can save you from physical harm. Another can rescue you from a different kind of doom. To reach their dreams, Eva and Pick can save each other. But first, they must open their hearts and learn how to trust.

An Excerpt...

“Does she need a blanket?” I asked when her tiny frame shuddered in her sleep as if she was shivering. “She looks cold.”
The nurse’s lips pinched with irritation. “She’s fine. But you really need to get back to your own room. They said you just got off dialysis yesterday. You don’t want to overdo it.”
I nodded as if agreeing, but answered, “Just a little bit longer.”
With a grumble, she spun away and stalked off. When I heard the phrase, “...typical single teen mother. Thinks she knows everything...” I turned and stared after her, watching the extra twenty pounds of weight on her waistline shift back and forth as she marched off in an angry huff.
I don’t know why I let her comment get to me. Maybe it was still pregnancy hormones swimming through my veins, the start of some baby blues, or normal insecurity issues of a typical new nineteen-year-old mom. But tears immediately filled my eyes. I turned back to my child, small and helpless, fighting for her life, and the floodgate opened even more.
What the hell did I think I was?
I’d gone into this with my usual fake confidence, thinking sure I could raise a kid. Millions of women popped out babies every year. Why would I have a problem with it? And look, I’d almost gotten Skylar killed.
I sobbed even harder, my chest heaving. I had to pull my hand free of Skylar’s incubator and bury my face in both my palms to muffle the gut-wrenching sounds so I wouldn’t wake her.
She was here, like this, because I was unfit, because
“Hey,” a cheerful voice interrupted my pity party. “Well, looks who’s up and out of bed already.”
He sounded so relieved and happy. I turned to look up at Pick. He stood in the doorway with the biggest grin and a pink gift bag dangling from his hand. When he saw my face, his smile dropped flat.
“What’s wrong? Skylar?” He dropped the bag as he hurried to the incubator.
The worry on his face warmed my heart and helped calm my tears. “No, she’s okay. Getting better every day.”
A heavy sigh escaped him as he set his hand on the clear plastic separating him from my daughter. “Thank God.”
I blinked, still in awe over how worried he’d been. “How did you get back here?” They hadn’t even allowed Reese into the NICU. She still had to look at Skylar through the window in the hall.
“Being a flirt comes in handy sometimes.” He finally turned to me and winked. “The nurses love me.” His grin was brief though. His worry returned almost immediately as he reached down to pluck me out of the chair. “Now what’re all these tears about? You’re looking better, by the way. The yellow skin and swollen face scared the shit out of me.”
I didn’t realize he was going to sit me in his lap until he was already settling me into place. I felt even younger, and stupider than I had when I’d started my crying jag. A silly little girl needing to sit on a nice comforting lap to get over herself.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled, wiping the drops off my cheeks and feeling lame. “I’m just so...overwhelmed.” Along with scared, worried, lost, unsure—ugh! What happened to the cocky Eva Mercer I’d been a year ago? I’d take a nice, big dose of her right now.
Pick chuckled and kissed my forehead, stirring up a nest of butterflies in my stomach. Or maybe it was the staples in the c-section cut that created such a sensation, except I really couldn’t feel much in that area. Awesome drugs and all.
Unable to help myself I plunked my head onto his nice, wide comforting shoulder. I mean, he was offering it. I couldn’t resist. And it felt good, so amazingly good to let someone hold me for a minute.

Linda grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now she lives in Kansas with her husband, daughter, and nine cuckoo clocks. Her life's been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing's always been a major part of her world, and she is so happy to finally share some of her stories with other romance lovers.

Find The Author :

What do you do when you find out you’re pregnant, your boyfriend rejects you, your sister is beaten half to death and the most annoyingly gorgeous man takes up residence in your house? Well ladies, there is only one thing to do, pull up your big girl knickers and show the world your middle finger.

Louise Beaumont is renowned for her sharp wit, smart mouth and sassy personality. She comes out swinging in an argument, even when she’s wrong. But even some events in life can knock her on her arse. And fighting through the sludge of emotional pressure she’s had poured over her is taking its toll.

Johan Senior is broken. A man with a deeply traumatic past, shadows and monsters haunt his every waking hour. That is until a heavenly angel is sent in the form of a loud mouthed chestnut haired vixen, who threatens his manhood countless times. But his heart grabs onto her and refuses to let her go. The only problem is, his mind needs to allow him the pleasure of human touch, and to take that terrifying step of allowing someone into his heart.

Part of the Surviving series but can be read as a standalone novel.

An Excerpt...

“Louise Beaumont,” called the sonographer.
I looked up at her and then at the clock. I let out a shaky sigh hoping a fortnight worth of emotion wasn’t going to burst free right now. Darren had let me down, yet again. What hurt most, before I fell pregnant Darren was amazingly attentive. Sometimes a little too much; I know I can’t be pleased. But it was like a stranger popped into his place when I told him we were having a baby.
“That’s me,” I choked out and cleared my throat. I stood and grabbed my coat and bag. I started down the long hospital corridor toward the ward I knew Darren worked on. I was no more than 20 feet away, and he couldn’t even make the time to see our child. The door behind us burst open startling me. I turned to see a flustered Johan charging into the waiting area.
“Johan?”
“Darren left a message at home. He isn’t coming. So I came.” He bent at the waist and placed his hands on his knees panting for breath. “God, I’m unfit. Remind me to start back at the gym. I had to park at the back of beyond, and then I couldn’t find the right place to be. This place is like a fricking maze.” He straightened.
When I simply stood gawping at him, his cheeks reddened. “I don’t have to come in, I can wait here...I just didn’t want...I thought maybe you shouldn’t be alone.”
Tears stung my eyes but I refused to let them fall. I simply held out my shaking hand to him. He smiled and let out a relieved breath. Then he took my hand and we walked into the dimly lit room.

Hi! What to say about myself...I don't really have anything interesting to offer other than I love to read, and create stories for others to enjoy. I've always been told I have a vivid imagination, I just lacked the confidence to pursue putting it onto the the written page. But finally I embarked on making a single dream come true.
I love to read, and write. I only read romance, any genre really, but it has to have a beautiful romance. I also demand a HEA, even if it takes two or three books to get there. Reality is too broken and jaded without having to live through the trauma and angst in a book for it to end unhappily.

Lia Meyers' plan for a relaxing Scottish vacation is short-lived when one uncharacteristic moment of clumsiness lands her in the arms of a dangerously attractive Englishman.

The perfect opportunity for a much needed holiday romance? Wrong! Lia’s still reeling from the mother of all bad breakups, and she really doesn't have the patience for Alastair Holden – despite his effortless charm and sexy British accent.

Arrogant and totally inscrutable, he's exactly the sort of guy she wants to avoid but can't: the man behind the mystery proves just too tempting to resist.

Drawn to him, Lia is forced to battle with her own insecurities, and the closer they become, the more she recognizes her own weaknesses as she peels away his layers with every night they spend together. Discovering the past Alastair is so desperate to conceal, Lia must decide if they can heal one another together or if their deepest fears will tear them apart.

Guest Post

Meet the Main Characters of Catch My Breath, the first book of the Breathless Series.

Amelia “Lia” Meyers
The feisty TV news producer has her world turned upside down when she crosses paths with one of Britain’s most eligible bachelors while on vacation in Scotland. The oldest of two daughters, Lia is smart and strong-willed. She’s direct and to the point and doesn’t put up with anybody’s nonsense. Still reeling from a nasty break up, Lia’s become more buttoned up and in control of her emotions. While she’s fiercely loyal to the ones she loves, she’s also guarded and cautious when it comes to new relationships, especially with guys like Alastair Holden.

Alastair Holden
The wealthy heir to his grandfather’s media empire, Alastair is known for being standoffish and private. Sexy, charming and mysterious, he only lets people see what he wants them to see and keeps everyone at arm’s length. Some say he’s arrogant and cold, and even a little dark. He’s a complicated man. A man with a past. A man who never lets his guard down or lets his emotions get the best of him. It’s that mysterious side that makes him all the more attractive to Lia.

A fresh, new voice in contemporary romance, Lynn is a former TV news writer who decided to take the plunge and write a novel. She's thrilled that her debut series is being published by Harper Impulse. The first book, Catch My Breath, was released in April 2014 to rave reviews. Its follow up, Unravel Me, hits the market in July.
Lynn grew up in a small town in Rhode Island before venturing out into the world. She's lived everywhere from Los Angeles to Boston to Orlando. An avid traveler, Lynn's been as far away as Australia and as close as Canada. Her favorite place to visit is London.
The small town girl is back on the east coast after a brief stint in Northern California. Lynn currently resides in Massachusetts, comfortably close to her beloved football team.

There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7", $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash.

Ends 8/31/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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